Could biofeedback help your migraines?

Over the past decade, medications known as CGRP inhibitors have helped prevent and treat migraine headaches in many people. But what happens when these drugs don’t work? Or when someone has to stop taking them due to side effects?

A nondrug therapy called biofeedback could play a role. This treatment has been shown to help prevent the debilitating headache pain of a migraine. And some people have found that it also can decrease the amount of migraine medication they need to take.

What is biofeedback?

Biofeedback is a technique that teaches you how to control automatic body functions like breathing and heart rate to ease tension and help you relax. Biofeedback is a widely accepted nondrug option for controlling and preventing headaches, including migraines.

During a biofeedback session, small sensors are taped to your head, neck, and other places on your body to measure functions that include your pulse, skin temperature, brain waves, and muscle tightness. Changes in these functions trigger a signal, such as a sound or light, that is recorded on a video screen.

By using the feedback from these signals and with the help of a biofeedback therapist, you can learn how to alter these signals by taking conscious control of these functions. For example, a tone might go higher if you tighten your forehead muscles and lower if you relax them.

“A person can obtain training in biofeedback and then practice on their own,” explains Dr. Paul B. Rizzoli, chief of the Division of Headache and Pain in the Department of Neurology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and associate professor at Harvard Medical School. “Used regularly, biofeedback can act preventively and reduce the frequency of headaches.”

Evidence for benefits of biofeedback in managing migraines

According to the American Migraine Foundation, biofeedback and relaxation training can produce a 45% to 60% reduction in headache frequency and severity. These results are similar to those of many headache medications, but without potential side effects.

A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis reported that biofeedback significantly reduced both headache frequency and severity. In addition, the evidence suggested that combining biofeedback with medication improves quality of life and reduces migraine-related disability.

What will happen during a biofeedback session for migraines?

Several biofeedback techniques can be used for migraines. One technique is electromyographic (EMG) biofeedback, in which sensors are placed on the muscles in your upper back, forehead, and side of your head and jaw. EMG biofeedback shows changes in tension in these muscles; learning to relax these muscles can help to ease migraine pain.

Another biofeedback technique is temperature feedback training. In some people, contraction of tiny blood vessels in the extremeties during a migraine attack can worsen the headache and lead to cold hands and fingers. Using a temperature reader attached to your finger, you can use techniques to raise your skin temperature to increase blood flow to your hands — and, importantly, away from your head. This can lower the intensity and frequency of migraines.

Biofeedback sessions for migraines can take 30 to 60 minutes. “After training, regular use at home — let’s say three times a week — would usually be needed to maintain the effect,” Dr. Rizzoli explains.

You can download an app on your phone or smartwatch to help you practice biofeedback.

Where does biofeedback fit in a migraine treatment plan?

Treating migraines often involves a multifaceted plan that may include techniques such as biofeedback along with medication and other therapy.

“Biofeedback can be added to a treatment plan that includes medication, or it can be used alone in those who wish to avoid taking medications,” Dr. Rizzoli says.

He also notes that newer, mindfulness-based relaxation treatments are now under evaluation for migraine. These include mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). MBCT incorporates meditation and breathing exercises to promote relaxation, while ACT helps you move beyond negative thoughts and feelings.